Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs

This dump and go meatball recipe is flavor packed with just a hint of kick with cranberry sauce, chili sauce and sambal oelek. It takes less than five minutes of hands on time and is a favorite around the holidays.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry chili sauce meatballs, cranberry meatballs crockpot, cranberry sauce meatballs

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 3 35

Servings servings

Calories 210kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

1 14 ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
1 12 ounce jar chili sauce
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 lbs frozen precooked meatballs any combination of beef, turkey or pork
2 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions

Add jellied cranberry sauce, chili sauce, sambal oelek and brown sugar to crockpot. Cook on high for 1 hour letting the cranberry sauce melt.
Stir the sauce. Add frozen meatballs. Continue cooking on high for 2 1/2 hours or low for 4 hours. Garnish with thin slices of green onions.

Notes

If you do not have a slow cooker you can do this on the stove top over very low heat stirring often so nothing burns to the bottom of the pan. You could also do it in the stove in a baking dish or Dutch Oven.
Jellied cranberry sauce usually starts appearing in grocery stores in early October and is available through the holidays. You can purchase it year-round on Amazon.
Sambal oelek is in the Asian food section of your local grocery store and adds just a bit of kick to this recipe. It really is a light kick but if you have a sensitive palate then substitute with a little bit of barbecue sauce or even orange juice.
I use frozen turkey/pork meatballs for this recipe but any combination of beef, turkey, or pork will work just fine. If time permits homemade meatballs are delicious as well.
Once the meatballs have cooked turn your crock to warm just to keep the sauce from getting too thick.
For ease in entertaining serve straight from the crock with little cocktail plates and fancy toothpicks.

Nutrition